Holding arms included among the holding apparatuses of the kind initially specified have long been known from the prior art and are specifically used in surgery to relieve an operator of static holding work. Such a holding arm is used to hold a mechatronic assistance system and/or a surgical instrument, such as a manipulator, an endoscope, a surgical clamp or the like. The holding arms initially specified have proved their usefulness for holding endoscopes, in particular. In endoscopic surgery, an operator generally operates an instrument with both hands, while an assistant holds the endoscope in order to make the operating area visible on a screen. Holding the endoscope over a protracted period is very tiring. The aforementioned holding arms are increasingly used for that reason.
One such holding arm is known from DE 195 26 915 B4, for example. The holding apparatus for medical purposes disclosed therein has a connection member and a holder for surgical tools, as well as an arm arranged between the holder and the connection member. The arm is connected to the holder and to the connection member, or to an adjacent arm via a joint, and can be overcoupled to a pneumatically operable device for selectively locking and releasing the joints, wherein the device locks the joints by the action of a mechanical spring which exerts a braking force on the joint, and wherein the device can be pneumatically switched to a joint-releasing mode against the force of that spring. An actuator by means of which a valve can be opened is disposed at the proximal end of the arm, so that the separate joints of the arm can be adjusted. When the actuator is released, the valve is closed again, thus locking the joints. One disadvantage with this holding arm is that all the joints are opened simultaneously, with the result that positioning can be difficult.
A similar holding arm is disclosed in EP 1 958 587 B1. The holding arm disclosed therein likewise has a plurality of joints, and a touch-sensitive sensor for actuating the joints is provided. The sensor is disposed on the holding arm adjacent to the medical instrument, so that the operator comes into contact with the touch-sensitive sensor on gripping the medical instrument, thus causing the joints of the holding arm to be released. The aforementioned problem of poor positioning arises here also.
Another problem encountered with both of the aforementioned holding arms is that it is not clear to the operator whether all the joints are in fact open, how wide open they are, and which movements are permitted.
A carrier system for carrying or supporting medical technology devices in a treatment room is also known from EP 2 455 053 B1. The carrier system has a tripod for mounting in the treatment room, at least one joint or at least one mechanism by which the tripod can be moved in the treatment room, an operating aid for operating at least one part of the carrier system in order to control a movement of the tripod, and a feedback system for generating a signal or feedback indicating operation of the correlating part of the carrier system by means of the operating aid. The carrier system is characterised in that the feedback system has at least one luminous element which identifies or characterises the part of the carrier system or the respective joint or the respective mechanism locally on the tripod at the respective position of the mechanism or at the respective joint, typically by illumination. In the embodiment shown, the carrier system has two arms which are pivotable about pivot axes arranged parallel to each other. A short, cylindrical piece is provided at each joint, and an oval-shaped lamp is arranged in that cylindrical piece. The operating unit is provided in the form of a remote control unit and has buttons for releasing each joint. The respective lamp on the respective joint lights up when the button is pressed, the aim being to make it easier, especially in dark operating theatres, to press the right button and thus to release the right joint and to receive feedback about it.
The disadvantage here is that a lamp lights up only when the respective button on the remote control is pressed, i.e. when the joint is actuated.